CONNECTION COMMUNITY CONNECTION - Amazon S3 · 2017-09-11 · Community Connection September 10...

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Community Connection September 7 Community Connection September 10 Community Non Profit Organization CONNECTION Postage Paid Community Church Irwin, PA 15642 A United Methodist Congregation Permit No. 5 3487 Route 130, Irwin, PA 15642 Change Service Requested DATED MATERIAL: Please Expedite Community Church A United Methodist Congregation Pastor: Rev. Dr. Rich Phipps - [email protected] Pastor: Rev. John E. Ciampa - [email protected] Minister of Pastoral Care: Rev. James Decker - [email protected] Director of Youth Ministries: Scott Uhlinger - [email protected] Director of Children’s Ministry: Erin Kerstetter - [email protected] Director of Connectional Ministries: Elizabeth Somes - [email protected] Director of Traditional Worship Arts: Keeley DiMartino - [email protected] Director of Current Worship Arts: Mike Kleinschmidt - [email protected] Treasurer: Heather Dolhi - 412-855-2515 - [email protected] Financial Secretary: Melanie Barrett - 724-392-4212 - [email protected] Director of Communications: Katie Morgan - [email protected] Director of Food Ministries: Kendra Simpson - [email protected] Facilities Manager: Deb MacAllister - [email protected] Facilities Maintenance - Bob Hengstenberg - 724-217-0446 - [email protected] Discipleship: Dawn Dormire Evangelism: Don Dolhi Worship: Pam Ramsey Communications: Katie Morgan Church Secretaries: Carole Helsel - [email protected] Wendy Johnson - [email protected] Phone: (724) 744-3413 FAX: (724) 744-4758 E-mail Address: [email protected] Church Web Page Address: www.communityumchurch.com Worship Services: Sunday Evening - 5:30 p.m. - Youth Worship Saturday Evening – 6:00 p.m.- Current (Contemporary) Worship Sunday Morning – 8:30 and 11:00 a.m. - Traditional Worship Sunday Morning - 10:30 a.m. - Current (Contemporary) Worship Community Connection is published monthly for members and friends of Community United Methodist Church. Deadline for submission of articles is the 10 th of every month unless otherwise noted. Articles can be delivered to Pastor Rich, Pastor John or to the church office. STAYING FOCUSED… Vision Weekend 2017 It’s an old story, but still compelling: the new, young pastor parked in front of his church for the first time. Stepping out of his car he scanned the neighborhood. Thrift shops lined both sides of the street, punctuated by bars and sketchy gas stations. People busied themselves carrying baskets of laundry into the laundromat while kids ran through the park. A rusty fence surrounded the church with a padlocked gate right in the middle. Finding the key he swung the gate back and climbed the steps. Slowly he opened the front door and stepped into the narthex. It was rather like stepping back in time. Dust clouds floated through the musty air, highlighted by the shafts of light knifing through the high windows. Water stains tattooed the walls. A plaque, now tarnished with age, held the warning of King Solomon, Where there is no vision, the people perish… Proverbs 29:18 But the water damage had made this promise even more real for this old church. Where it had run down the wall it washed away the first letter, leaving this message: here there is no vision, the people perish. Vision is the North Star of any organization. It defines who we are and what we do. Have it and you have direction, power and purpose. Lose it and you become ineffective. Vision gives energy. Vision provides clarity. Vision brings unity. And vision focuses resources. In the church, God’s vision leads us into the best version of ourselves. For the past months, your elected leadership and hired Staff have been prayerfully evaluating the vision of Community Church. In an effort to refresh and redress the statement we’ve had, we feel like God has given us this: To follow Jesus and lead others to Him. In the Bible, the call of the church is to make disciples of Jesus. Jesus established that. We don’t have to make it up. We just have to read it and obey it. But how we capture that mission and how we live into that mission is unique to every local body of believers. Every church has to find a way to express what God has called all followers of Jesus to do. And that becomes our unique way of saying, “This is how we do church.” We are not a building. We are not a place. We are a people called by God’s Name, called to God’s purpose, and called in God’s power; to follow Jesus and lead others to Him. September 9&10 is Vision Weekend. Come discover the Biblical foundation for this new Vision. Come celebrate who God has designed His church to be and who He desires this church to be. And keep coming. For the 6 weeks following Vision Weekend, we’ll dig into God’s Word to discover the 6 core behaviors that will make us successful in living into this new vision together. This is not a “I” thing or a “you” thing or a “them” thing, it’s a “we” thing. I hope you will join us! Following Jesus, Pastor Rich COMMUNITY CONNECTION “To Know Christ and Share Christ With Others” Vol. 22, No. 7 September 2017

Transcript of CONNECTION COMMUNITY CONNECTION - Amazon S3 · 2017-09-11 · Community Connection September 10...

Page 1: CONNECTION COMMUNITY CONNECTION - Amazon S3 · 2017-09-11 · Community Connection September 10 Community Connection September 7 Dear Community Church Family, I am writing to say

Community Connection September 7 Community Connection September 10

Community Non Profit Organization

CONNECTION Postage Paid

Community Church Irwin, PA 15642

A United Methodist Congregation Permit No. 5

3487 Route 130, Irwin, PA 15642

Change Service Requested DATED MATERIAL: Please Expedite

Community Church

A United Methodist Congregation

Pastor: Rev. Dr. Rich Phipps - [email protected]

Pastor: Rev. John E. Ciampa - [email protected]

Minister of Pastoral Care: Rev. James Decker - [email protected]

Director of Youth Ministries: Scott Uhlinger - [email protected]

Director of Children’s Ministry: Erin Kerstetter - [email protected]

Director of Connectional Ministries: Elizabeth Somes - [email protected]

Director of Traditional Worship Arts: Keeley DiMartino - [email protected]

Director of Current Worship Arts: Mike Kleinschmidt - [email protected]

Treasurer: Heather Dolhi - 412-855-2515 - [email protected]

Financial Secretary: Melanie Barrett - 724-392-4212 - [email protected]

Director of Communications: Katie Morgan - [email protected]

Director of Food Ministries: Kendra Simpson - [email protected]

Facilities Manager: Deb MacAllister - [email protected]

Facilities Maintenance - Bob Hengstenberg - 724-217-0446 - [email protected]

Discipleship: Dawn Dormire Evangelism: Don Dolhi

Worship: Pam Ramsey Communications: Katie Morgan

Church Secretaries: Carole Helsel - [email protected]

Wendy Johnson - [email protected]

Phone: (724) 744-3413 FAX: (724) 744-4758

E-mail Address: [email protected]

Church Web Page Address: www.communityumchurch.com

Worship Services:

• Sunday Evening - 5:30 p.m. - Youth Worship

• Saturday Evening – 6:00 p.m.- Current (Contemporary) Worship

• Sunday Morning – 8:30 and 11:00 a.m. - Traditional Worship

• Sunday Morning - 10:30 a.m. - Current (Contemporary) Worship

Community Connection is published monthly for members and friends of Community United Methodist Church.

Deadline for submission of articles is the 10th of every month unless otherwise noted.

Articles can be delivered to Pastor Rich, Pastor John or to the church office.

STAYING FOCUSED…

Vision Weekend 2017

It’s an old story, but still compelling: the new, young pastor parked in front of his church for the first time. Stepping out

of his car he scanned the neighborhood. Thrift shops lined both sides of the street, punctuated by bars and sketchy gas

stations. People busied themselves carrying baskets of laundry into the laundromat while kids ran through the park. A

rusty fence surrounded the church with a padlocked gate right in the middle. Finding the key he swung the gate back

and climbed the steps. Slowly he opened the front door and stepped into the narthex. It was rather like stepping back in

time. Dust clouds floated through the musty air, highlighted by the shafts of light knifing through the high windows.

Water stains tattooed the walls. A plaque, now tarnished with age, held the warning of King Solomon, Where there is no

vision, the people perish… Proverbs 29:18 But the water damage had made this promise even more real for this old

church. Where it had run down the wall it washed away the first letter, leaving this message: here there is no vision, the

people perish.

Vision is the North Star of any organization. It defines who we are and what we do. Have it and you have direction,

power and purpose. Lose it and you become ineffective. Vision gives energy. Vision provides clarity. Vision brings

unity. And vision focuses resources. In the church, God’s vision leads us into the best version of ourselves.

For the past months, your elected leadership and hired Staff have been prayerfully evaluating the vision of Community

Church. In an effort to refresh and redress the statement we’ve had, we feel like God has given us this:

To follow Jesus and lead others to Him.

In the Bible, the call of the church is to make disciples of Jesus. Jesus established that. We don’t have to make it up. We

just have to read it and obey it. But how we capture that mission and how we live into that mission is unique to every

local body of believers. Every church has to find a way to express what God has called all followers of Jesus to do. And

that becomes our unique way of saying, “This is how we do church.”

We are not a building. We are not a place. We are a people called by God’s Name, called to God’s purpose, and called

in God’s power; to follow Jesus and lead others to Him. September 9&10 is Vision Weekend. Come discover the

Biblical foundation for this new Vision. Come celebrate who God has designed His church to be and who He desires

this church to be. And keep coming. For the 6 weeks following Vision Weekend, we’ll dig into God’s Word to discover

the 6 core behaviors that will make us successful in living into this new vision together.

This is not a “I” thing or a “you” thing or a “them” thing, it’s a “we” thing. I hope you will join us!

Following Jesus,

Pastor Rich

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

“To Know Christ and Share Christ With Others”

Vol. 22, No. 7 September 2017

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Dear Community Church Family, I am writing to say thank you and to bring you up to date on my personal situation as well as my expectations for the near future. First: Thank you! As many of you know I underwent surgery on June 15

th. I cannot begin to tell you how blessed I have

been, how blessed my family has been, by the love and care you have extended to us during these challenging several months. You have shared God’s grace with us! At the close of traditional worship on June 11

th I shared with the traditional service congregation (Pastor Rich shared the

same information with Sunday’s Current folks) that on Thursday, June 15th I would undergo surgery to correct an aortic

aneurism and replace the aortic valve. As a result of this procedure I shared that I would not be present in the life of the church for six weeks or more. Our church family received this news with somber grace. Even before I entered Shadyside Hospital for the surgery I began to receive cards and other expressions of care. Time after time I heard from folks that they would hold me and my family in earnest prayer. I immediately felt the strength and assurance of those prayers. A calming of my soul and a peace began to envelop me. That calm assurance remained with me through the surgery and several very trying days in the early recovery period. In fact, it remains with me now as I write these words. Thank you for your faithfulness to pray for me and my family. During my ten days in the hospital you flooded us with cards and care expressed In many, many ways. A couple of examples: A member family delivered a small cooler on wheels filled with snacks and beverages to provide for my family and friends who spent the day of surgery in the waiting room. Another member, with expertise in the medical field, specifically in the type of surgery I was undergoing, took the day off work and spent the whole day with my family, providing clarity about where I was in the process and what to expect next. This was most reassuring to my family. Patsy and our daughters Tina and Liz, had made arrangements to stay at Shadyside’s Family House the night following the surgery, in order to be close by. When they checked in at the end of a very long and trying day they were told that the room had already been paid for, by a church family. I could go on and on. The care, love and prayers have contin-ued unabated. Our church family has seen to all of our needs and have been so understanding. Words cannot adequately express our appreciation. Thank you! Since my return home my improvement has been steadily positive. At first progress was slow but with each passing week the gains were quite obvious. Twice a week a visiting nurse would assess my progress and monitor my blood thinner. Two weeks ago I went back to see Dr. Gleason, my surgeon, and he was pleased with my recovery and lifted almost all restrictions. I am increasing my activity level each week. Since I am now cleared to drive I am more and more involved in church activities. It has been wonderful to get back to worship services as I have the last several weeks. Throughout the rest of August I plan, as I am able, to ramp up my level of participation in church activities. I am scheduled to preach at traditional services on August 27

th. I must admit, I am more than ready to get back into the pulpit. It is my hope, and

expectation, by God’s grace, that by September I will be able to resume all my usual pastoral duties. These are exciting times at CUMC and I can’t wait to get back into our shared journey. Again, I am so deeply grateful for your support for me and my family. See you in church. Grace & Peace, Pastor John

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JUNE/JULY SCHEDULE

ACOLYTES - Contact Carol Decker - 724-515-7252

Sept. 3 8:30 Maura Coiner & Morgan Spudy 11:00 Emma Chamberlin & Daniel Stones

Sept. 10 8:30 Chloe Ziros & Isaiah Francis 11:00 Ben Hollerman & Matthew Alaia

Sept. 17 8:30 Aidan Coiner & Allen Kane 11:00 Logan Kerstetter & Sierra August

Sept. 24 8:30 Jared Miller & Maddie Watson 11:00 Samantha Hollerman & Trinity Alaia

SUNDAY GREETERS - Contact Sandy Wessel - 724-744-3754

Sept. 3 8:30 Jill Eisenhuth Family

11:00 Sherry Berginc and Elaine Petroski

Sept. 10 8:30 Jane & Larry Brammell and Kelly Brown

11:00 Sandy & David Good

Sept. 17 8:30 Mark & Connie Close

11:00 Carol & Chas Metzger

Sept. 24 8:30 Bev Hall and Bill Davis

11:00 Donna Blasi and Nancy & Andy Husak

ALTAR GUILD - Contact Carol Soule - 724-519-7084

Aug. 27-Sept 2 Dolly O’Neil

Sept. 3-9 Elaine Petroski

Sept. 10-16 Kathy Sperling

Sept. 17-23 Jackie Dolhi

Sept. 24-30 Carol Soule

CURRENT HOSPITALITY -

Sept. 2 Keith Goldman and Dave & Karen Smith Sept. 3 Isaiah & Julie Doebereiner

Sept. 9 Rick & Sylvia Tyke and Vince Zigarovich Sept. 10 Wendy & Mike Tusay

Sept. 16 Eric & Judi Dunlap Sept. 17 Kristin O’Donnell & Jim McMahon

Sept. 23 Val Cosco and Jack & Laura Crescenzo Sept. 24 Sandy & Matt Wilson and Sherry Mains

Sept. 30 Heather & Simon Goetz and Susan Lindsay Oct. 1 Kathy Sperling & Deborah Dull

SEPTEMBER CALENDAR

Sundays 8:30 & 11 am Traditional Worship Service

9:30 am Joyful Noise (begins 9/10)

10:30 am Current Worship Service (begins Sept. 10)

Community’s Kids

7:00 pm Community Ringers

7:00 pm Christian Believer

Monday 10:00 am Worship Team

Tuesdays 9:00 am Staff Meeting

6:30 pm Grief Share (begins 9/12)

Wednesdays 10:00 am Connectional Meeting

3:30 pm F.E.A.S.T. (begins 9/13)

6:00 pm Disciple 3 (begins 9/13)

6:45 pm Disciple 2 (begins 9/13)

6:45 pm Men’s Bible Study (begins 9/13)

Disciple 4 (begins 9/13)

Disciple 1 (begins 9/13)

In Our Own Backyard Bible Study (begins 9/13)

Thursdays 9:00 am Busy Hands Sewing Group

7:00 pm Chancel Choir

Saturdays 6:00 pm Current Worship Service

1st & 3rd Mondays 2:00 pm Soaring Eagles Bible Study

1st & 3rd Wednesdays 10:00 am Co-ed Bible Study (begins 9/6)

7:00 pm Emmaus Reunion meeting

2nd & 4th Thursday 9:30 am Women’s Bible Study (begins 9/14)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Monday Sept. 4 Labor Day - Church Office closed

Tuesday Sept. 5 12:00 pm Super Seniors lunch & Meeting

Wednesday Sept. 6 6:45 pm Disciple/Small Groups orientation

Friday Sept. 8 9:00 am MOPS

Monday Sept. 11 7:00 pm United Methodist Women

Tuesday Sept. 12 7:00 pm Staff Parish Relations Committee meeting

7:00 pm Security Team meeting

Sunday Sept. 17 12:30pm Safe Sanctuary training

Tuesday Sept. 19 7:00 pm Trustees meeting

Wednesday Sept. 20 7:00 pm Finance Committee meeting

Thursday Sept. 21 4:30 pm Set-up for This N That Sale

6:00 pm Kid’s Sewing

Friday Sept. 22 8:00 am Set-up for This N That sale

9:00 am MOPS

Saturday Sept. 23 9:00 am This N That sale

Monday Sept. 25 7:00 pm Church Council

Tuesday Sept. 26 6:00 pm Kid’s Sewing

God's left hand

A 6-year-old and his grandma went for a walk one autumn day. “Look at the gorgeous leaves!” Grandma

exclaimed. “Just think, God painted each one of them just for us!”

“Yep,” said her grandson, “and he did it left-handed.”

Perplexed, Grandma asked, “Why do you think God used his left hand to create all this beauty?”

“Because,” said the boy matter-of-factly, “we learned in Sunday school that Jesus sits on God’s right one.”

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Builder’s Corner

Have you noticed the changes occurring at the church? Did we mention there may be noise, dirt, changes in traffic

patterns and a bit of confusion while we’re under construction? Since receiving the loan approval from our lender in

June, our architect, the McKnight Group, and their engineer have been working diligently with the township to obtain the

building permit. We recently received the permit to allow us to proceed with the foundations and retaining wall. By the

time you receive this newsletter, the heavy equipment should be onsite! Woohoo! Once the site contractor arrives, the

retaining wall for the rear parking lot and drive will be constructed and the ground at the back of the church will start to

come up to grade.

In the meantime, you may have noticed familiar things disappearing – the front entrance, the rear concrete steps, the play-

ground, landscaping, windows. R&M Builders, who has the demolition contract with McKnight, has been readying the

area for the heavy lifters. R&M has also constructed a temporary room in Fellowship Hall to be used by the

pre-school and children’s ministry and a temporary wall in 212 to ready the area for the connection into the new

structure. These modifications will require us to rethink how we use these rooms this fall.

You may have also noticed that Pellman Electric, McKnight’s electrical contractor, installed a 5” pipe across the ceiling

of the MMR. This conduit will house the electrical wiring that will power the new office suite, sanctuary, and HVAC

system. Once the wiring is complete, they will connect the new electrical panels. After the new panels are operational,

the new air conditioning units can be installed and the existing air handler units disconnected. As each zone is switched

over from old to new, we may need to relocate meetings to another zone, to ensure that everyone stays comfortable.

Currently, the glass doors by the office are no longer accessible, and the only entrance into the church is through the

double glass doors by the elevator. This will be our only entrance and primary exit for the next 8 or 9 months. Note that

all exit doors can be used in an emergency. Please bear with us as we deal with changing situations and settle into a new

rhythm. Feel free to contact me ([email protected]) if you have any questions or suggestions on

how to make living in a construction zone a little easier.

As the project started to gear up, I took the opportunity to ask Scott Uhlinger, our Director of Youth Ministries, what the

new church facility will mean to youth ministries. Scott replied emphatically that the new youth area will be an incredi-

bly effective tool in making young disciples for Christ within Westmoreland County. Scott said that just by entering the

youth wing, the youth will know that we care about them, so much so that we tailored a unique space just for them. This

space, with its own entrance, worship space, game room, café, and lounge, will make them feel invited and welcome. The

areas will be well staffed with trained adults to interact in an appropriate, edifying manner with teens. Today, unfortunate-

ly, many teens come from broken homes, and these teens need stable, caring male and female models to help establish

healthy relationships in a safe, loving environment.

Scott’s goal is to communicate the scriptures and to lead teens to Christ in a manner that is different from a traditional

setting, one that is suited to reaching young people today. This environment will include a “rockin” sound system and

theatrical effects, enabling us to host national-level concerts, musicians, and speakers to help us reach non-believing

students for Christ. Scott also envisions us holding worship conferences and becoming a regional training center to help

make disciples and train leaders in our area.

The new youth ministry area will also provide many opportunities for teens and adults to serve – security, lighting, sound,

baristas in the café, manning the welcome and information center, others at the check-in area, small group leaders. Scott

already has volunteers eagerly waiting to assist with the youth ministry in many new ways. He also plans to engage the

high school students in the middle school ministry, teaching the youth, as Christ has done, to serve one another. This is

precisely what Christ has called us to do – to go and make disciples at home and far afield.

Altar & Narthex Flowers are available on the following dates:

Narthex: September 3, 10, 17, 24 & October 1, 8, 15, 22 & 29

Altar: October 22

Narthex: October 15, 22 & 29

Please contact the Church Office for other dates throughout the year and

to reserve your date. Flower arrangements are $20.00 each.

We have something exciting coming…we need your correct

email in order for you to access it. Community Central is a

web-based program that Community Church will use for signing

up for events and groups, sharing information, online giving and

more! It is a great tool that will allow us to better connect with

each other. If you’ve been receiving the weekly Coming to

Community emails AND that is the email you’d like to use to

access Community Central, you don’t have to do a thing! An activation email that you can use to access Community

Central is being sent to you soon. If you didn’t get it in your inbox, check your spam, junk or clutter folders. It can be in

there! The email will have an activation link that allows you to access Community Central and all it has to offer. If you

haven’t been receiving the weekly Coming to Community email, we don’t have an email address that can access

Community Central. If you need to update your information or if you need help with your log in, you can send Katie

Morgan [email protected]) an email with your questions or updated information.

Welcome back! September is upon us and the United Methodist Women would like to invite you to their next meeting

on Monday, September 11th at 7 PM in the MMR. Hostesses: Becky Oblak and Diane Simmons. Sherry Anderson

from Feeding the Spirit will be our speaker for the UMW September 11 meeting. Looking forward to seeing everyone

again. Please join us and bring a friend – all women of the church are included!

It’s that time again! Our “Fall” This n’ That Sale will be held on Saturday, September 23rd. The sale is from 9 AM to 2

PM and will be held in the multi-ministries room. Please save all your unwanted, usable items (WE WILL NOT BE

COLLECTING ANY CLOTHING THIS TIME), and bring to the church during the week of September 17th. Items will

be accepted that are in good, usable condition. Please NO TIRES, MATTRESSES. COMPUTERS OR TELEVISIONS.

Large items such as furniture will be accepted on set up days, Thursday evening, September 21st and Friday, September

22nd. All church members are invited to come out and help with this event. A bake sale and lunch will be available for

purchase. Please call the church office for further info. Proceeds benefit the various mission projects that we support.

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Come F.E.A.S.T. with us! Followers Eating And Sharing Together

Join us for dinner each Wednesday evening between 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. Cost is only $6.00 and includes meal drink and dessert! This is a great opportunity

to gather in fellowship. All are welcome! Invite your family, friends, and neighbors.

SEPTEMBER MENU:

September 13 Soup & Salad Bar September 20 Spaghetti, Meatballs, Salad & Garlic Toast

September 27 Roasted Chicken Sandwich, French Fries & Gravy

Larry & Barbara Bertolino Lori (Madeira) Kanarkowski

3500 Route 130 106 Valeron Court

Irwin, PA 15642 Irwin, PA 15642

Isaiah & Julie Doebereiner Charles Miller

3221 Windgate Drive 120 Miller Lane

Murrysville, PA 15668 Jeannette, PA 15644

Wesley Mihm Julia Roberts

318 Oak Ridge Lane 1105 Sunview Avenue

Murrysville, PA 15668 Jeannette, PA 15644

Chelsey Wohlgemuth Terri Yates

912 Cedar Street 8447 Serene Place

Irwin, PA 15642 N. Huntingdon, PA 15642

Ruth Lowry Alexander Pingel

896 Weatherwood Lane 5156 Carnegie Street

Apt. 309 Pittsburgh, PA 15201

Greensburg, PA 15601

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER DISTRIBUTION CHANGES

Due to ever rising cost of producing and mailing our monthly newsletters, we would like you to consider the following options:

Option #1 If you attend regularly please consider the “Pick-up at Church” option. Please let the church office know you will pick a copy up at the Welcome Center and we will remove your name from the list.

Option #2 “Church Website” ~ Please let the church office know you will be reading the newsletter online and we will remove your name from the list.

Option #3 “Email Distribution” ~ Please provide email information to the church office and we will send your newsletter via email each month.

Option #4 If you no longer wish to receive our monthly Newsletter, please contact the church office so that we can remove your name from our list.

We have begun sending our Newsletter by email to those who have requested an email. Please let the church office know if you signed up for email but did not receive your Newsletter.

Receiving the newsletter by regular mail will still be available to those that do not have internet access. Please call or email the church office at [email protected].

Capital Campaign UPDATE!

235 Cards Returned

$2,182,804.00 Pledge Total

$1,262,360.72 Total Given To Date

For information on giving, please contact Financial Secretary Melanie Barrett

at [email protected] or 724-392-4212.

If you have any questions, or if you would like to make a formal pledge to the

capital campaign, please let us know. Feel free to talk to our pastors or staff about

the best way to get involved.

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Community’s Kids Erin Kerstetter – Director of Children’s Ministries

Opportunities for kids to love Jesus like Jesus loves kids!

SMALL GROUPS: Wednesdays from 6:45-8:15pm. Beginning September 6th for kids in kindergarten-

5th grade. Having church friends is important for kids as they navigate their way through elementary

school! At small groups, kids will strengthen those relationships while they grow in faith, through fun

games & activities, and fun ways of merging scripture with their every day. This year’s focus will be on

prayer. We will introduce kids to lots of different forms of prayer, and these young prayer warriors will

learn that there’s no wrong way to talk to God!

COMMUNITY’S KIDS EXPERIENCE: beginning September 10th, kids in preschool – 5th grade will

experience Jesus in a whole new way on Sunday mornings! CK’s Experience will bring together the very

best of Sunday School with the best of Kids Worship, offering a “totally awesome, you won’t want to

miss this” experience. All ages will join in worship time that will model many parts of adult worship from

both the Traditional & Current styles. Worship time will include praise music, prayer, and an intro to the

sermon. Then they will break into smaller groups that are age appropriate for the core of the week’s

message. In these groups, kids will experience lesson activities, scripture challenges, and life

applications. This will also include many of the milestones that Community Church has valued over the

years in our Sunday School program! We will come back together to wrap up and send out. The same CK’s Experience will take place at both the early service and the later service.

Become an Investor! Are you interested in being a part of this Experience? As a part of this

leadership team, you will be doing two things: serving God & our church, and investing in the spiritual

walk of every child who comes into our worship space! Investors can serve weekly or monthly.

Opportunities include:

8:30 Service 10:45/11:00 Service

1.) Greeter 1.) Greeter

2.) Worship Leader 2.) Worship Leader

3.) Preschool 3.) Preschool

4.) K / 1st Grade 4.) K / 1st Grade

5.) 2nd / 3rd Grade 5.) 2nd / 3rd Grade

6.) 4th / 5th Grade 6.) 4th / 5th Grade

JOYFUL NOISE: praise God through music in our children’s choir! Kids in kindergarten – 5th grade will

lift their voices to the heavens in joyful noise. This group will meet Sundays from 9:30-10:30am,

beginning September 10th. Special appearances in adult worship & in other events will take place

throughout the year.

We are extending a warm welcome to the following families that became members of

Community Church the weekend of July 29th and 20th

James & Cynthia Dodds Jeffrey & Thea Kestner 1802 Ridge Road 2599 Hi Ridge Drive Jeannette, PA 15644 Irwin, PA 15642 Phone: 724-527-1645 Jeff: 724-978-1235 Thea: 724-433-9098 Randy & Jessica Mastro Nathan & Elizabeth McManus 102 Irene Drive 26 Oakridge Drive Irwin, PA 15642 Irwin, PA 15642 Randy: 412-600-7393 Nathan: 814-329-8400 Jessica: 412-334-9727 Elizabeth: 814-312-1364 Children: Peyton, Mia & Colton Children: Sophie & Mia Brian & Wendy Sutherland Theresa Williams 382 Rose Avenue 128 Painter Street Harrison City, PA 15636 Level Green, PA 15085 Brian: 412-736-6096 Phone: 412-373-3921 Wendy: 412-760-1756 Theresa: 412-849-9452 Children: Derek & Brooke Robert Wunderley Jean Camp 13 Scott Drive, Apt. G 104 Sandy Hill Road Dravosburg, PA 15034 Irwin, PA 15642 Phone: 412-403-1254 Phone: 724-217-4742 Son: Austin Gregg & Janet Johnston 703 State Route 130 Trafford PA 15085 Phone: 412-380-8974 Daughters: Lindsay & Anna

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Deaths

We extend our Christian love and sympathy to

• Justin & Carolyn Taylor and families on the death of Justin’s brother, Josh Taylor

• Paul & Veronica Wersing on the passing of Paul’s mother, Gloria Wersing

• John & Susan Lindsay Family on the death of Susan’s mother, Lois Diehl

• Janice Miller, Kristin & Jerry O’Donnell on the death of husband and father, Robert D. Miller

Baptisms

Congratulations to the following on their baptism:

Jessica, Peyton, Mia and Colton Mastro

Christopher & Amy Span, daughter, Aaliyah Louis

Jean Eileen & her son Austin Matthew Camp

Births

Congratulations to these families on the birth of their babies:

Joe & Keeley DiMartino on the birth of their baby, Bennett Thomas

Mike & Lisa Haendler on the birth of their daughter, Leah Marie. Proud grandparents are Jeff & Bev

Hall

Weddings

Lori Madeira and Philip Kanarkowski on June 9th

Kathryn Burger and Kevin udrick on August 5th

Alicia Pease and Richard Poholsky on August 19th

Thank you for all the prayers, support, visits, hugs, smiles and encouragement that we received during our mother and

grandmother Lois Diehl’s illness and passing. We are so blessed to be members of this wonderful family here at CUMC!

God is Good! Susan, John & Ian Lindsay

Church Family - Thank you so much for your generous support! Your generous donation will help pay for my travel

expenses to Zimbabwe! Again, thank you for your continuous support with all the things I do with my life.

Sincerely, Vivian Somes

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If you make my word your home you will indeed be my disciples.—John 8:31

DISCIPLE is an in-depth, discussion-based small group Bible study, whose purpose is to transform our lives by

strengthening our faith while guiding us into service. Following a series of testimonials starting in August, our Disciple

Bible Study Program will commence with a general Disciple Orientation Meeting September 6th with classes starting the

following week. Please check the Bulletin for times and dates. All classes will meet weekly on a designated day/evening

for approximately 2-2 ½ hours. You will be asked to purchase a study manual (approx. $35) that will be combined with a

DVD that we supply to guide your reading of Scripture with discussion being facilitated by a Disciple class leader. Note

that after completing Disciple 1, subsequent Disciple class studies many be taken in any order. \

DISCIPLE 1: Becoming Disciples Through Bible Study is the class to take if you’ve never completed a Disciple

Bible study. Participants will read over 70% of the Bible over the course of 34 weeks, spending an equal number of

weeks studying the Old and New Testaments. No prerequisite required. Class offerings

will be Wednesday evening from 6:45-8:15pm in Room 209 led by Don Dolhi. Contact Don at

[email protected] for more information and on Wednesday afternoon in a home led by Elizabeth Somes

contact [email protected] for more information.

DISCIPLE 3: Remember Who You Are challenges us to remember our biblical heritage as a people “set apart” for

service while renewing our vision and place of community. This 32 week study concentrates on the writings of the Old

Testament prophets and on the Letters of Paul. Completion of Disciple 1 required to take this class. Existing class offer-

ing is Wednesday evenings led by Mike and Allison Florio in Patterson Parlor at 6pm. Contact [email protected]

or [email protected] to sign up.

DISCIPLE 4: Under the Tree of Life, this 32 week study in the four-phase Disciple program, concentrates on the Writ-

ings in the Old Testament and the Gospel of John, 1,2,3 John, James and Revelation in the New Testament. Completion

of Disciple 1 required to take this class. Existing class offering will be Wednesday morning led by Dawn Dormire (this

group is for women only) meeting in a home. Contact [email protected] to sign up. Another option is Wednesday

evening from 6:45-8:15pm led by Theresa Stones (for men and women) room 211 contact [email protected].

If you have any questions, please call Dawn Dormire at

412-983-5417 or email at [email protected].

SMALL GROUP AND DISCIPLE Orientation will be held on

Wednesday, September 6th at 6:30pm in the Sanctuary and

classes will begin in the following weeks. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I want to get connected! After completing this form, please place it in the offering plate or return it to the Church Office.

If you have any questions, contact the person listed with the study or the church office.

Name _____________________________________________________________

Home Phone _______________________ Cell Phone _______________________

E-Mail _____________________________________________________________

For Disciple:

I want to take Disciple class: _____________________________________________

For Other Groups:

The small group I want to be in is: ___________________________________________

Small Group Bible Studies

Emmaus Reunion Group: Have you attended the Walk to Emmaus weekend? You may be interested in joining the

CUMC reunion group. The group is doing the 4th Day Guide. We meet on the 1st & 3rd Wednesdays of each month up-

stairs in the Ministry House at 7pm. Contact Larry Johnston for details at [email protected] or 724-454-9093. There is

no cost for this group. Childcare and children’s small groups provided Wednesday evening.

Christian Believer: This in-depth study focuses on classical teachings of the Christian faith—presenting, explaining, and

interpreting them in a way that participants can understand, through the use of words, symbols, and hymns. Over a 30-

week period, participants will examine the writings of ancient and modern Christian commentators and view video presen-

tations by leading Bible scholars. It is highly recommended to have completed all four Disciple Bible studies. Led by

Mark Pasek and meeting on Sunday at 7pm in the Ministry House. Contact Mark at 412- 584-4006 or johnab-

[email protected].

In Our Own Back Yard: In recent years, Americans have woken up to the reality that human trafficking is not just

something that happens in other countries. But what most still do not understand is that neither is it something that just

happens to "other people" such as runaways or the disenfranchised. Join others in reading this book sharing true stories

and years of boots-on-the-ground experience by author Nita Belles. Meeting Wednesday evenings September 13-October

25 from 6:45-8:15pm in the Ministry House. Contact Krystal Novak for details at [email protected] or 724-244-6749

(call or text). Books are $10 each. Childcare and children’s small groups provided Wednesday evening.

Men’s WEEKLY Study: This group of men from all stages, seasons and places in life will be studying “Man in the

Mirror” by Patrick Morley and meeting Wednesday evenings at 6:45pm in room 207 starting September 13th. Contact

Kerry Moser at [email protected] or call or text at 724-575-2550. Childcare and children’s small groups provided

Wednesday evening.

Twice Monthly Studies: Select to meet either on Wednesday morning OR Thursday mornings. Meetings are on the 1st

and 3rd Wednesday (men and women) from 10-11:30am in room 209 starting September 6 and 2nd and 4th Thursday

(women only) from 9:30-11am starting Sept 14 in room 209. Pick either daytime study. The groups will study “The Book

of Titus” by Chip Ingram. Contact Leigh Casale for details at 724-396-4777.

Soaring Eagles: Meeting the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month from 2-4pm in Patterson Parlor of the church this group

of ladies is currently studying a LifeGuide Bible Study "Genesis". Contact Sybil Kunkelmann at 724-515-5499 or

724-552-3983 for details.

MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers): Will meet every other Friday morning from 9:15-11:15am beginning September 8th

meeting in Patterson Parlor. This group is designed to nurture mothers with children from infancy through kindergarten.

MOPS helps mothers find friendship, develop mothering skills, and promote spiritual growth. There is an $80 fee for this

group and $10/child fee. Contact Jen Leitch at [email protected] for details. There is currently a wait list for this

group. Contact to have your name added to the wait list. Childcare is provided.

Care and Fellowship Groups Moms Fellowship Outings: Interested in connecting with other moms? This group will meet monthly for a fellowship outing.

Outings will include anything from a yoga class to paint class to lunch. Cost is dependent upon the activity. Contact Melissa Conte to

sign up for the schedule and emails at [email protected] or 724-744-0008.

Dinners for Eight: Dinners for Eight is a dinner group for both couples and singles who are interested in getting to know other church

members. On Sunday, September 10th we will meet between services and draw names to form our groups for the year. Each group

will then have dinner together four times per year, one dinner in each group member’s home. This is a social event that develops

deeper relationships with other church members and may lead to wonderful, enduring friendships! Anyone interested in being involved

should contact Lee Liermann at [email protected] or 724-972-6046 by August 31st to enjoy “Dinners for Eight” for 2017!

Busy Hands: Do you like to craft or sew or support those who do? Join the Busy Hands group meeting on Thursdays from 9-noon in

the Patterson Parlor. Bring your projects and come and work on the many various projects coordinated by the group to help the

community and world. Contact Linda Briggs for details at [email protected].

GriefShare: This program features Christ-centered teachings that focus on grief topics associated with the death of a loved one.

Starting on Tuesday, September 12th and meets weekly until December 5th from 6:30-8:30pm in Room 210. Please contact Winnie

Kruhm at [email protected]. Manuals provided are $15. Ecumenical program. Open to the community.

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